Image: from presentation and performance, Warsaw Breakfast, Praga  - by the Studnia ‘O’ with Katedra Kultury at Instytut Teatralny, Aleje Ujazdowskie.

One of the main activities of the Institute of Polish Culture at Warsaw University is to provide training within the framework of Animacja Kultury – Cultural Animation. Our students may be young artists, curators, anthropologists, writers, filmmakers, storytellers, musicians or actors, leaders of any common cultural activities. The goal of this specialisation is to prepare participants for an active role in culture. Culture is here defined as a space for self-realisation, for expression and realisation of values – a living space, which is undergoing constant transformation. To deliver our programmes and enhance our knowledge and experience, the Institute partners with other educational and cultural organisations, alongside practitioners.

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Published by Mark Webster from Staffordshire University in Artist Newsletter June-August 2008 (magazine has 30,000 subscribers in UK). Mark Webster is a community arts teacher and practitioner. He was our guest during the final event on April 26th.

Article page pdf

Promo page pdf

A-N website

What are - if any - connections between idea of culture animation and community arts? What are roots of community arts in England and of culture animation in Poland? Who are people belonging to "tribe of active culture"? What could be possible use of etnographic research for culture animation?

We ask these questions - and try to answer some of them - in the book Locally: Culture Animation / Community Arts based on our findings from ANIMUS and ANIMATOR projects.

Full book in Polish (PDF)

Text on etnography and culture animation in English (.doc)

"If the word “relationship” has been stamped all over the job description at the task level, or the level of specific professional experience, then it should go without saying that it has to be evident in the way in which culture animation-related tasks and initiatives are presented. If the words “contact”, “person”, “relationship”, “bond” and “communication” are at once the primary key terms and the foundation on which the practice of cultural animation has been built, then they should be present wherever the results of cultural animation projects are exhibited. This is why it was hard to envisage an "Animation Initiatives Market" (AIM) along the lines of a "fair", like a book fair, a job fair, a tourism fair, etc. when planning the ANIMATOR project" - writes Małgorzata Litwinowicz.

And this is why the final event of April 26th was not only a platform for promotion of ANIMATOR’s results but - above all - a pilot event testing a model for exchange of ideas in education and practice in culture animation.

Text in Polish

Text in English

here you can read a short research study on cultural animation in post-soviet Lithuania which was presented at the conference "Cultural Animation…?" on 25 February 2008 in Prague.

text

Book prepared by Association "Studnia O" - the group of storytellers in the framework of our previous project ANIMUS.

It present the idea of storytelling as a tool for culture animation and narrative experience of members of the group. It includes also examples of projects.

Polish pdf

English doc

Gozdowo project has provoked a lot of discussions and arguments. How to work with local community? What tools are appriopriate for cultural work with adults? What could we expect from "tutors" - experienced practitioners - participating in the project? What kind of support should we receive from them? How to use Gozdowo project as model activity? What is its connection to education in culture animation? How curriculum in culture animation should be built? All these and many other questions were asked during evaluation discussion that took place in December 2007 with participation of students and graduates of culture animation who worked at Gozdowo.

Discussion in Polish

Soon after Wonders workshop (October 2007) we gathered participants involved in the project to discuss all its advantages and disadvantages. They evaluate Wonders model and develop new ideas for cultural work based on this general idea.

Text of the discussion (in Polish)

I think its more than three years ago we ended our project in pedestrian subway called PODCHOD.
We started this project in the year 2001 as a students of theater faculty(academy of fine arts, film faculty and so on) and the beginning was enthusiastic. We were non-professional in this kind of work.

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Please join us at Refresh - the Cultural Animation Discussion Forum

for a Live Online Discussion Event on the topic:
"Activating, or Animating, Public Space"

Tuesday 18 December, 2007

17:30-19:00 in Czech Republic or Poland.
which of course is 18:30-20:00 in Lithuania
or 16:30-18:00 uK

with invited speakers:
Gall Podlaszewski (www.planetwawa.org)
Ula Tornau (http://www.cac.lt)
Teresa Durdilová (www.divadlo.cz/spolekrichelieu)